It's about time the standard of pilots raised in this country. ----- Original Message ---- From: Bill Hough <psa188@xxxxxxxx> To: AIRLINE@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx Sent: Thursday, May 14, 2009 7:08:42 PM Subject: SFGate: Crew's low pay contributed to fatal crash cause =20 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- This article was sent to you by someone who found it on SFGate. The original article can be found on SFGate.com here: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=3D/c/a/2009/05/14/MNNR17K1DU= .DTL --------------------------------------------------------------------- Thursday, May 14, 2009 (SF Chronicle) Crew's low pay contributed to fatal crash cause Joan Lowy, Associated Press (05-14) 04:00 PDT Washington - -- The co-pilot in an airline crash that killed 50 people in upstate New Yo= rk was paid a salary so low that she lived with her parents near Seattle and commuted across the country to her job, a combination of long travel and little money that a safety official called a "recipe for an accident." The second day of a three-day National Transportation Safety Board heari= ng Wednesday focused on whether Capt. Marvin Renslow and co-pilot Rebecca Shaw were fatigued on the wintry night of Feb. 12 when they apparently made a series of critical errors as Continental Connection Flight 3407 approached Buffalo Niagara International Airport. The Dash 8-Q400 Bombardier, a twin-engine turboprop, experienced an aerodynamic stall, rolling back and forth before plunging into a house below. All 49 people aboard and one on the ground were killed in the worst U.S. air crash in seven years. Board member Kitty Higgins said fatigue has been a factor in other crash= es and is a major concern for the NTSB and the Federal Aviation Administration. "When you put together the commuting patterns, the pay levels, the fact that the crew rooms aren't supposed to be used (for sleeping) but are being used - I think it's a recipe for an accident, and that's what we have here," Higgins said. Shaw, 24, made $16,254 a year, although she could have earned more if she worked extra hours, said Roger Cox, an NTSB aviation safety expert. In questioning officials for Colgan Air of Manassas, Va., he suggested that Shaw was commuting from her home near Seattle because she couldn't afford to live in the New York metropolitan area on her salary. Colgan operated the flight for Continental. The night before the accident, Shaw flew overnight as a passenger from Seattle, changing planes in Memphis, to report to work at Newark Liberty International Airport in New Jersey. She also complained about congestion and may have been suffering from a cold. Shaw had worked for Colgan for 13 months. She had a second job in a coff= ee shop when first hired. Renslow, 47, commuted to Newark from his home near Tampa, Fla. It is unclear where Renslow, who was in the middle of a two-day assignment, slept the night before the trip, but he logged into a computer from Colgan's crew room in Newark at 3 a.m. the night before, according to NTSB documents. Colgan officials said their captains typically earn around $55,000 a yea= r. Neither pilot had a "crash pad" or apartment they shared with other pilo= ts in the New York area, nor did they rent a hotel room, NTSB documents said. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Copyright 2009 SF Chronicle <<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> If you wish to unsubscribe from the AIRLINE List, please send an E-mail to: "listserv@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx". Within the body of the text, only write the following:"SIGNOFF AIRLINE". <<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> If you wish to unsubscribe from the AIRLINE List, please send an E-mail to: "listserv@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx". Within the body of the text, only write the following:"SIGNOFF AIRLINE".